The doggone days of summer

NOAAThere's a pall covering much of the West and central part of the country. Here's why.

Don't be surprised if Monday morning is very wet. A warm front is approaching the area, and as we've seen already this summer, when this happens during the early-morning hours this time of year around here, the skies can really open.

It should gradually dry out as the day progresses, however, although the clouds may hesitate to leave. Look for a high temperature around 85.

The heat and humidity will return for Tuesday, and perhaps Wednesday, but won't be sticking around for long.

Typically during August we back into what are often called the dog days of summer, with weather patterns changing little and becoming stagnant. But that's not happening right now. We're looking at a consistently progressive pattern this week, with changes in the air masses every 36 hours or so.

Have you noticed how this hurricane season has so far been essentially non-existent? So too have Dr. William Gray and his staff at Colorado State University, known for their annual hurricane forecasts. They had been predicting an active season this year, but have now rethought that projection.

Gray has lowered his 2007 forecast slightly, calling for 15 named storms, with eight becoming hurricanes and four becoming intense. Back in May he had called for 17 named storms and nine hurricanes, five of them intense. This latest forecast puts the chances of an intense hurricane hitting the U.S. coastline at 68 percent for the rest of this season.

We call this making it up as you go.

Yesterday's extreme temperatures in the contiguous United States --- High: 102 at Smyrna, Tenn.; Low: 33 degrees at Meacham, Ore.